Today I bought a pair of flip flops for less than a dollar, and I’m truly happy. A few days ago, the sandals I bought in Brazil in January broke. So I was walking around the yard in the rain with a broken flip flop, and it was impossible to not get muddy any time I went to the bathroom or kitchen, or soaked when I did the same in the rain.

A new pair of flip flops for 80 cents, and I’m a happy man.

Today’s experience was enlightening for me—how much we take for granted, how so little can make us happy. How quickly our mindset and expectations can shift with our reality.

In Arusha, a city of around a million people, there are two main roads. The rest are dirt, and more often, mud (from the rain). Where I live now, there is no running water. The public squat toilets have no sewer system. Electricity is limited to one dim light and one outlet per room, and prolonged blackouts occur nearly every day.

Life is simple here. You wake, you eat, you work, you sleep.

And yet people are happy. People are friendly on the street, they smile. Meals are a time for communion, for sharing and socializing and enjoying. Laughter is a common sound, no matter where you are.

My flip flops in Arusha have shown me that life really can be both simple and sublime, if we use the right focus. When things don’t go our way, if we reflect on how our circumstances compare to countless others, we will truly see.

It sure is one big beautiful amazing world.